Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

Hey, Anne, you are very astute. It's the attending when you play games and the like - they are not sure if it's the dopamine but that is one of the theories.

Have fun reading the posts - lots of little hints, reseach, help, and love floating around here.

Bump this up so others can find it.

does anyone know if "nitroglycerin worsens RLS? Or any Blood Pressure Med? Or any anesthesia used in surgerys? I have had 8 surgerys in the last 2 years and had RLS reactions most times when they wanted me to be perfectly still afterword and I could not. I just don't know what the culprits were and the medical staff typlically does not know much about RLS. So, I am trying to create a list to take them next time to avoid the issue in order to be safe for me after surgerys. I have used the list on this post plus some , but dont have the surgery and IV info. Alice

alice wrote:does anyone know if "nitroglycerin worsens RLS? Or any Blood Pressure Med? Or any anesthesia used in surgerys? I have had 8 surgerys in the last 2 years and had RLS reactions most times when they wanted me to be perfectly still afterword and I could not. I just don't know what the culprits were and the medical staff typlically does not know much about RLS. So, I am trying to create a list to take them next time to avoid the issue in order to be safe for me after surgerys. I have used the list on this post plus some , but dont have the surgery and IV info. Alice

Alice, several things that happen in surgery can worsen WED.

Download this http://www.rls.org/Document.Doc?id=2082 document to give to your medical providers the next time you have surgery. It tells them what to avoid.

They often give a person dipenhydramine (Benadryl) during surgery. That is a problem for almost all of us. They also know that epidural or spinal anethesia can causes increases limb movements. Anti-nausea drugs are also sometimes given. Depending on which they use, it can be a problem. All of these are listed in the document above.

But, surgery itself can worsen it. They aren't sure why. Blood loss is one possibility.

Welcome Ann,
I agree, these guys are like family. One big understanding brilliant supportive family.

As for anti inflamatories. I took Meloxicam for arthritis. It didn't hurt my WED, relieved it some, but it was contra indicated for the prescription water pill I take; it mitigates it.

As for blood pressure medication, I use Lisinopril and have never had it affect my WED. One bit of caution if you take blood pressure meds and Mirapex. Some days Mirapex causes my BP to bottom out and I pass out. No rhyme or reason to the episodes, but twice a year is the norm. (I want off Mirapex so badly I could scream, but I digress). So, if you are starting Mirapex or pramipexole and you take meds to lower your BP, please be careful the first week you take it. For those of you who have never had a sudden drop in BP, when you get below 70/49 you will likely pass out. Signs to watch for: dizziness, slurred speech, nausea and clammy skin. If you stand up to go the bathroom and the room spins, PLEASE crawl to the bathroom. If you live alone, I advise you to call 911 at this point. The first time this happens it is very scary. If you do not live alone, let someone know what is happening. It is highly likely you don't need to use the bathroom, despite the nausea,but please DO NOT be tempted to run, it is better to have to clean your carpet than to risk falling and hitting a desk, stair rail, or floor. If the room spinning gets too intense, lie down on your back. At this point, once on your back, just relax and close your eyes. Once you lie down, it gives the oxygen a chance to get back to your brain. You may pass out, but if you do, you will come to shortly and be exhausted. Don't fight the fatigue, go to bed. Syncope is very hard on your body. Call your doctor the next day and let them know what happened. If it happens to you once, I strongly urge you to buy a wrist BP cuff so you can document your falling Bp's for your doctor.
I know this is a lot of info; if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. The 4am rambles are sometimes hard to follow.

Happy Friday to all !!!!!!!

Some people have successfully, or semi-successfully , used blood-pressure meds to treat RLS/WED. I have not heard of them ever worsening it. Thers is this: http://www.rlshelp.org/rlsrx.htm#Hypertensive and also a section in the little green book, and there were some posts on here by someone using bp meds for RLS.

does anyone know if the diebetic drugs Victoza pen or Byetta caused RLS to get worse? Alice

I started taking Wellbrutrin and it realllly helped with relaxing and sleep at night and depression was much better , not to mention it helps with weight loss, however\, I started losing hair and I had to stop it.
Has anyone had this cause hair loss? Alice

I haven't heard of this. Is it mentioned anywhere as a side effect.

Anybody have trouble taking ventolin for asthma?

Does anyone know if the smoking cessation drug "Chantix" causes problems with RLS? Alice

Dear Polar Bear, This was the only change in meds I had started taking and then I noticed hair loss rather quickly, within 3wks or so. So I checked posting from "ask a patient.com and saw several posts on there about people experiencing hair loss with Wellbrutrin as a side effect and I wanted to mention that here to see if anyone has had that happen. I was so pleased with the drug and RLS I was really disappointed with that side effect. ALice

Such a shame to have to stop a medication that was helping you.
Medications leave us all dealing with the swings and roundabouts scenario and everything becomes a balancing of priorities.

Please add:

Aspartame
Splenda

I have found that these both make my WED/PLMD worse. I am able to reduce my meds when not taking these in. They can be hidden in food that say "no sugar"

I am very careful over these.... before I found this site I used to have several cans of diet coke each day sitting at my desk.
Imagine... I was sitting at my desk jiggling like crazy while taking in loads of sweetener.